Last week I wrote about one of my favourite parks, Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain. Today I’ll share a completely different park that we visited on the same trip, this one in Madrid.

Retiro Park is a beautiful city landscape, just a short walk from our hotel and the Prado museum. While Park Guell celebrates the natural beauty of its surroundings, Retiro features sculptured trees and meticulous flower gardens. Long paved promenades lead through the park, meeting each other at right angles.

Built in the 17th century, the park was originally intended for the sole use of the Spanish royal family. The gardens were made open to the public in the 18th century, but admission was restricted to those who were formally dressed. (Admission rules have been relaxed somewhat since then.)

The heart of the park is a large manmade lake in the centre. We spent an hour rowing around the lake, taking time to admire the enormous monument of King Alfonso XII by its side. After disembarking, we meandered around its perimeter, enjoying the musicians and street artists.

One of the saddest days in the history of Madrid happened in March 2004, when a series of coordinated bombs struck its commuter train system. A year after the bombings, 192 olive and cypress trees were planted in Retiro Park, one for each victim of the attack.

We weren't aware of the significance of those trees on the day we visited, but there was something about Retiro Park that seemed emblematic of the city of Madrid. It's what we chose to do on our first afternoon in Madrid, our first afternoon in Spain, when we were still mastering the basics of the Spanish language. And as we enjoyed our lunch by the lake in Retiro Park, we felt like we had a little insight into this beautiful city and its magnificent country.

Oh! This brings back such memories for me ... my father was born in Spain, and I traveled there a few times as a child and young adult ... I've only been back once as an adult, but it was with my husband, and we went rowing on the lake in Retiro Park, too. :) Thank you!!

What a beautiful place! I like that they planted the trees for the victims. It doesn't replace the lost lives but it does send a beautiful message of healing and life.Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

What a beautiful park Beth.I adore trees and your first photo produced a huge smile :DI didn't realise I was going to Spain today...isn't life full of surprises! Thank you for inviting me.Have a great weekend :)

One of my work friends is going to Barcelona soon and I was telling him about the Park Guell and he was going to check it out. one of the girls had been there and said it was amazing. This would actually be more my cup of tea with the gardens. They are both treasures, for sure!

Oh, I adored Il Retiro! I was SO ill in Madrid -- razorblade sore throat, fever, weak as a kitten, the works. And on top of that, I was trying to answer my agent's offer of rep from my sick bed! Once I was able to move around, my husband took me to the park for the day, and parked me on a rug with a series of icecreams. I read I AM LEGEND (quite a morbid book for such a lovely setting), and we listened to music floating across the water, watched ducklings and other picknickers, and had a lovely time! Such a beautiful, communal space.